Famous Leader Dog Names

Introduction

If you are a leader yourself or maybe just appreciate the type of universal results great leaders generate out of less than ideal circumstances, giving your dog a leader’s name will undoubtedly attribute them some level of prestige, even if they do still choose to clean themselves on the living room carpet while you’re entertaining. But whether you realize it or not, leadership is an inherent quality of anyone who properly trains a dog, and if they have an adventurous personality, let alone one with a protective nature or the drive to lead whatever family unit they’re a part of, giving them a famous leader’s name will be the perfect fit.

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Famous Leader Dog Names in Pop Culture

Featured Famous Leader Dog

Buck

For anyone unacquainted with the works of Jack London, the name Buck might not sound like that of a truly famous leader but in the worlds of both dogs and leadership, Buck is surely deserving of some credit at the center of the Venn diagram, even if he is fictional.

He is the main character of one of London’s most famous works, The Call of the Wild, and stands as a highly important figure in terms of American literature, not to mention the perfect example for the topic of leadership. While a story of strife told in the third-person (or third-canine as it were) had been written many times before, very few stories ever centered around a dog, let alone were told from his perspective, attributed him complex feelings, and so flawlessly translated from the world of canines to the world of humans.

His story begins in the padded, comfortable world of ranch life in Santa Clara, California, but after being kidnapped and shipped north, Buck is destined to be sold as a sled dog. Through myriad struggles of battling his own civil and moral standards, along with other dogs, people, and the harsh conditions of the Yukon in the early 1900s, Buck is forced to face the inevitable truths of reality, that life is a cold, harsh existence filled with layers of Darwinian endeavors. In the end (spoiler alert), Buck comes to terms with that reality by ascending to the position of sled dog leader and eventually, alpha in a pack of wolves, both by leaving life as he knew it, and in turn, his old self, behind and reverting back to the primitive essence of animalistic hierarchy.

While it certainly makes for a good story, the significance of Buck’s character operates on numerous levels that challenge common conceptions. Although he is a dog, his character is most certainly still relatable to people for a variety of reasons. The narrative that takes the book from beginning to end is not far off from what many people struggle with in their day to day lives and does it all with thematic brilliance. Through Buck, London’s story touches on big themes like love, loss, trust, and self while infusing it with the internal struggles of the relationship between survival and civility, dominance and submission, success and failure, as well as desires, rewards, and power, all with leadership standing front and center at the story’s most pivotal moments.

On the whole, Buck’s story embodies very Nietzschean values, ones that, especially today, may challenge the notion of what it means to be human, animal, or both in many respects. And while many writers and characters may have been able to exemplify the themes addressed in this novel with similar aptitude, very few have been so insightful as to approach it from the perspective of what many people overlook as simple household pets and prove that leadership and the struggle for it extend far beyond the bounds of humanity.

Famous Leader Dog Name Considerations

Compared to some of the other famous people you could name your dog after, choosing a famous leader’s name is usually more of a specific fit, as there are limited criteria to help make it most suitable. Of course, you can always start simple and just choose a storied favorite, but many find it much more rewarding to give their dog a name that matches them on multiple levels.

The three easiest attributes to work from are their looks, their breed or type, and their personality. For instance, in terms of looks, if you have a dog with a mustache or rings around their eyes, Gandhi would be a great fit. Of course, it’s even more perfect if they have a very chill personality and are a Golden Indian Dog.

Personality provides just as many options, if not more. If your dog is small and has a big attitude, Napoleon would be highly suitable, especially if they are any type of French mix. If they are a small dog yet attempt to pick fights with much larger breeds, Arminius would be a good pick, and even better if they have any German roots.

Whatever you choose, don’t hesitate to do a bit of research. There are plenty of famous leaders who had specific countries of origin, distinct looks, or unique personalities, all of which provide ample fodder for pairing your pooch up with something appropriate.

Male Famous Leader Dog Names

Votes

Name

Vote

2

Junior

After Martin Luther King Jr., activist and American Baptist Minister

2

Caesar

Julius Caesar, Roman politician and general responsible for the rise of the Roman Empire

2

Titus

After Titus, Roman emperor and military leader

2

Strive

After Strive Masiyiwa, progressive world counselor, board member of Africa Progress Panel

1

King

Martin Luther King Jr., advocate of nonviolence

1

Napoleon

After Napoleon Bonaparte, French statesman and military leader

1

Nelson

After Nelson Mandela, South African revolutionary

1

Otto

After Otto I the Great, German king and ruler of the Holy Roman Empire

1

Hannibal

After Hannibal Barca, Carthaginian general

1

Khan

After Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire, history's largest contiguous empire

1

Buddha

After Siddhartha Buddha, ascetic, sage, and founder of Buddhism

0

Lincoln

After the 16th US president, Abraham Lincoln, who also paved the way for abolition of slavery

-1

Washington

George Washington, first US president

-1

Luther

After Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights icon

-1

Bismarck

After Otto von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of the German Empire

-1

Gandhi

After Mahatma Gandhi, Indian civil rights activist who promoted nonviolence